Las Vegas' Finest
by Noa-Pearl
Summary: Vartann's feelings for Catherine are still there, and vice versa. Reconciling their relationship however seems close to impossible… But why? - Spoilers for season 12, episode 9 "Zippered".
1. God, my fingers burn

Title: "Las Vegas' finest."  
>Summary: Vartann's feelings for Catherine are still there, and vice versa. Reconciling their relationship however seems close to impossible… But why?<br>Rating: T. Perhaps M, for some chapters.  
>Disclaimer: Don't own anything, nothing, nada. Chapter's title is from Pete Murray's awesome song "So Beautiful".<br>Note: Hi all! Long time no nothing from me, I know, I apologize! At First Sight is kind of getting screwed by myself because I just haven't felt the urge to write for that for al lóóóng time now, but after seeing CSI's latest episode I couldn't resist. That McQuaid Agent had some serious chemistry with Catherine and I just couldn't resist. So if you don't like any season 12 spoilers, don't read. If you don't mind, please do! Hope you enjoy! xx.

_** God, my fingers burn, now when I think of touching your hair.**_

_I never expected me and Catherine to ever get together. She'd always been the drop dead gorgeous CSI of whom I knew had a past as a stripper but yet was one of the smartest and finest women I'd ever seen. Getting together with her was one of the most beautiful moments of my life. Our relationship had never been officially a relationship and the last few months we'd barely seen each other. I should've never got so upset with her after hearing some of the things she'd been hiding for me. I just couldn't help myself. And now I have to pay for that, I guess. It hurts. Every time I catch a glimpse of the woman my breathing gets heavier and my mouth gets dry, as I try to prepare myself for a conversation with her in which I'll tell her I want her back. That conversation never happens though; she became an expert in hiding from me, and I hate it. I love that woman. Every single memory I have of her makes me wanting her back even more than I already do._

* * *

><p>That agent McQuaid. It almost felt as if she'd known him for longer than just a few hours. That made it even more surprising to find him on her doorstep, and actually in her house a few seconds later. His hand on her cheek made her aware of the slight electricity she was feeling when their bodies connected. "You're very beautiful, Catherine." His thumb caressed her cheek lightly before stepping closer into her aura. Catherine felt his breath on her lips and she knew he could probably hear her heartbeat getting faster. "It's not fair though… You never told me your first name." He looked into her eyes and blue met blue. He didn't bother telling her his first name. Instead, his lips crashed on to hers before she could even blink. He put his hands on her thighs and pulled her closer, making their bodies touch completely. Within a second Catherine's mouth opened, allowing his tongue to duel with hers.<p>

For a split second, Catherine thought of pushing the man away and make him leave. In the back of her mind was still Vartann. She still loved him. Their relationship had ended quite some time ago though, after all the drama regarding her owning part of her father's casino and more. It had hurt her. She'd barely spoken to Lou in the past couple of months and even though she didn't want to, she knew any chance of a romantic relationship with him was gone. She shook the thought of Vartann out of her head; focusing on what was happening right now was a lot better. Quite a lot nicer too. McQuaid's hands slid down her body, discovering more of what he'd been seeing that day. "Where's your bedroom?" McQuaid had spoken his words before realizing he actually had, but Catherine didn't seem to mind. She led him to her bedroom and within two minutes, their bodies had collided with her bed.

Their breaths got heavier every seconds, pounding and moaning while items of clothing got dropped next to the bed. Catherine knew McQuaid would be gone tomorrow or the day after but she didn't care at all. Her hands roamed his muscular body while his tried to undo her bra without breaking contact with her lips. When both were naked McQuaid sat up a bit so he could look at her. "Damn you, woman. You're gorgeous." Catherine's flushed cheeks got a little bit more red after his compliments. "Thank you. No punishment to look at you either." They shared a smile before McQuaid looked into her eyes for permission to take things to the next level. All he could see was desire. Complete and utter desire.

Outside of the house, a familiar car pulled up the driveway. Well, as far as that was possible. Lou Vartann wasn't even close to parking his car near the house due to another, quite big SUV blocking his entrance. Vartann wondered who would be accompanying Catherine that afternoon. It wasn't the first time he'd been driving in her street, willing to knock on her door and just make love to her and forget about all the issues they'd been having. That however didn't seem very convenient with another visitor there. He decided that he would just look for that night during her shift. He was done with their issues and mostly, done with not having her around.

Sweat was still covering their bodies while Catherine and McQuaid lay down in the bed, bodies still touching as he was playing with a strand of her hair. "Glad you didn't slam that door in my face now, aren't you?" She slapped him lightly on his wrist, pushing his hand away from her hair. "Don't be too full of yourself, mister." His lips touched her forehead briefly and he was about to speak when they heard the sound of their pagers going off somewhere on the floor. They both stepped out of the bed, searching through the items of clothing until they found their pagers. "Willows." "McQuaid."

* * *

><p>Thirty minutes later, both arrived at the same time at the crime lab. They walked into the building together, both pretending to be as professional and superficial as possible. They should be nothing more than two people who'd been working on a case together. Catherine though couldn't resist the urge to ask him the question that had been burning in her mouth for what seemed like ages now. "So you're leaving any time soon?" McQuaid smiled. "You want me to go?" "Not necessarily. Just wondering. Case is closed, there's no reason for any of you guys to stay." "True." He held open the door for her to walk in, and neither of them noticed the detective walking behind them. Vartann, interested in Catherine and planning on talking to her as soon as the man next to her was gone, followed them. "Thanks." There was a short silence as they walked into the direction of Russell's office before McQuaid said; "I think we'll be gone her in a few hours. If it was up to me, we'd be working a little longer together but I don't think that's going to happen." Their hands brushed as they walked, giving both little sparks of excitement.<p>

A few meters before the office, McQuaid stopped Catherine, causing Vartann to slightly hide behind the corner they'd just crossed. "Let me take you out for dinner tonight." Surprise spread across Catherine's face and she wasn't sure how to answer. Before she got a chance to speak any of her doubts, McQuaid added: "I think I speak for both of us if I say neither of us is interested in pursuing any kind of long-term relationship. Correct me if I'm wrong here." Catherine nodded, interested in what else he was going to say. "But I like you. You're beautiful, smart, funny… I enjoy spending my time with you. And I had a feeling you did too." The words the man spoke made Vartann almost look green; jealousy took over within seconds. The car in Catherine's driveway started to make sense and he didn't like it a bit. He knew he should walk away but he couldn't; he wanted to know what else would be said. "Catherine, you're probably the finest woman I've ever met and, well, if you're up to it… I'd love spending time with you if we're around each other. And not only in each other's bed." A smile escaped from Catherine's lips as he said so. McQuaid was most certainly charming, fun and entertaining to spend her time with. It was a relief to know he wasn't interested in anything long-term either; she appreciated that more than anything after the fiasco between her and Lou. Her hand touched his arm for a bit before she said: "Okay. I'd love to. Just one condition though." "And that is?" "You have to tell me your first name. Now."

_Note: Ha! Sorry for the mean ending there, bet you're all interested in the name I'm gonna give our FBI agent right ;) ? I'm actually not that sure myself so if you have any great ideas about that, let me know! Also whether you enjoyed it or not.. Reviews are very much appreciated! Love, x. _


	2. I'm falling apart in your hands again

_****Note: Hi all! Thanks a lot for the very, very sweet reviews, I appreciate them so much. I can now start and tell you guys why it took me so long to update this but I know y'all rather continue on reading and perhaps even skip this part haha, so please enjoy! x._

_** I'm falling apart in your hands again.**_

Vartann had been positive Catherine and the man she'd been talking to were long gone before he walked around the corner. It bugged him that the man was spending time with Catherine. He knew it was her good right, he knew she wasn't his; he just wished all she could think about was him. As he casually walked by D.B Russell's office, he looked inside to see if Catherine was inside. Their eyes crossed for a split second before Catherine looked away. Vartann's hands immediately reached for his cellphone as he walked on, texting a short message to Catherine. **Can you come to my office? Please? Wanna talk to you. Lou. **

A mere second after that, Catherine's phone beeped while the FBI agents were just saying their goodbyes. The other three continued while Catherine read the message, completely surprised it was from Lou. She got rid of her cellphone to give a hand to the younger FBI agent before she stood in front of McQuaid again. Catherine was thankful Russell was completely sucked up into his mushroom collection as she quietly said: "I'll see you tonight, okay?" "Yeah… It was a pleasure working with you, detective Willows." A smile crept on her face after his polite statement before giving him a formal hand. McQuaid walked away after that, nodding to Russell one last time. Catherine felt Russell was about to question her regarding the tension between her and McQuaid so she quickly said: "I've got to go, message from Nicky. See you in a bit."

Catherine rushed out of his office, wondering if going to Lou was a good idea. They hadn't spoken in ages, and it had been a long time ago since he'd even try to get in touch with her. She was curious about why he wanted to talk to her. She wasn't sure if talking would be the best thing to do though; they hadn't resolved any of the issues they'd been having ever since the first bursts in their relationship had started to appear. Doubts washed over her as soon as she stood in front of Vartann's office. She wanted to knock but instead, turned around and walked away.

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><p>It was almost two hours later when Catherine walked into the break room, grabbing a last cup of coffee to finish up her last hour in the office before going home and prepare for her dinner with her new friend. Who's first name she'd finally caught. Viggo. Viggo McQuaid. Sounded quite nice if you asked her. The smell of coffee made her a bit fresher then she was before and she was about to turn around and walk back to her office when she bumped into someone and found Vartann in front of her. "Cath. Hey." "Hi." She hadn't expected to find him there and knew she was getting slightly flushed.<p>

Vartann took a step back to give her some space before he said: "So… How have you been?" "Yeah, fine… How about you?" "Fine." The uncomfortable silence between the two of them made Catherine want to run away. "So why didn't you come to see me this afternoon?" Their eyes locked and Catherine almost started stuttering as she said: "Sorry.. I.. Well, I… I just had to do some, well, stuff." Lou chuckled. "I see. You've got time now?" Lou was about to step closer when Catherine stepped forward and their bodies collided again. Denying the electricity that was floating around them was impossible but Catherine wanted to give it a try nonetheless. "Lou… I have to go. I need to finish up some stuff and I've got an.. An appointment later." Lou's hand reached up to touch Catherine's skin but he then took back his hand again. The appointment. He hadn't quite caught everything Catherine and the man said a couple of hours before but he assumed the appointment was with him. Their bodies were still touching as he said: "Appointment? Lindsay's okay, right?" "Yeah yeah, she's absolutely great, it has nothing to do with her." She then immediately added. "I have a date tonight."

Lou's eyes slightly widened when he heard her speak those words. Of course, he'd already figured she had a date after hearing some of the words between her and the agent, but hearing Catherine say it still made him cringe. Catherine, on the other hand, was mentally kicking herself. Why was she saying that to Lou? There was absolutely no use in him knowing about that; it would only make the relationship between them that was left worse. Lou scraped his throat and stepped back before he said: "Oh, wow, okay, yeah… Well, good for you. Great." "Lou… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that, I don't know where that came from." Lou's eyebrow raised. "So, you don't have a date them?" "Well, yes, I do, but…" "It's okay, Catherine. I'm nothing from you. We're nothing from each other."

He wanted to walk away after those words but Catherine wouldn't let him as she grabbed his hand. "Don't say that. You know that's not true." "It seems like it lately." "Come on, don't be like that. Besides, you were the one who ended everything we had, not me." Her voice was raising slightly, getting upset with Lou's words. He didn't respond and shook Catherine's hand off his arm before he walked away. Catherine's rage was building up though and she couldn't help but follow him. Her heels clicked on the floor, quickly walking behind Lou without trying to get any attention from the other people in the lab. Lou was walking into his office, almost closing the door when Catherine came bursting in and closed the door behind her with a bang.

The sight of an angry Catherine almost made Lou smile; she looked pretty when she was angry. "Catherine…. People are going to wonder what happened to my door, you know." "I don't give a damn." She stood in front of him with dark eyes and then continued. "It's quite obvious that you really don't like me right now and I get that but don't you ever, ever again say that you're nothing from me. You know that's not true and it bothers me that you even dare to say that. Do you really mean that? You really think we're nothing from each other?" Her eyes softened again and Lou was getting the impression Catherine was about to cry. Her eyes were watering and she turned her head away. Yes, Catherine was indeed about to cry. Something that hurt Lou more than he could even imagine. A tear fell from her face and without thinking his hand moved to her cheek, wiping all tears that were falling away with his thumbs as he said: "Cath, please, don't cry…. Don't cry." His face moved closer to hers before he whispered: "I think you're amazing. You're beautiful, sweet and incredible. I didn't mean what I said, you know that… There's never been a woman in my life that meant more to me then you did and still do." Their eyes locked and all Catherine could think of was how much she missed the guy. She was about to respond when the door of Lou's office swung open and Nick walked in. "Vartann, I got this… Oh, wow."

Nick spotted his crying friend very close to her former boyfriend and suddenly got the uneasy feeling that he'd interrupted something important. "Guys, I'm so sorry. I'll leave." He turned around as Catherine said: "No, no Nicky, it's fine. I… I was just about to leave." Her eyes rested on Vartann's for a bit before she stood up and tried to look normal. Catherine knew Nick was already aware of the drama in the office. Without another word, Catherine walked out of the room, straight to the bathroom. This was definitely not how she'd imagined her shift that night. At all.

_Disclaimer: Title inspiration came from Shakira's Objection, though I'm sure this sentence is used in tons of other movies/songs/books whatever.  
><em>_Note: Ah, the drama. I hope you all enjoyed it. Even though it was not that nice of me to make them fight, haha! Please let me know! xx. _


	3. Cause I like quite a lot, everything

_Notes: Oh my God... I'm embarresed for not updating for so long. You're allowed to hit me. Or yell at me. Or whatever, haha! I just hope this chapter will make up a little bit for the wait. Please enjoy!  
>Disclaimer: Stole my chapter title from Lana Del Rey's song Lolita. <em>

_** 'Cause I like quite a lot, everything you got.**_

The doorbell ringing made Catherine aware of the fact that Viggo was there to pick her up and that she, however, wasn't ready yet. She decided that the curls weren't going to happen that night and, after a super quick last minute check-up, she moved down the stairs as quick as she could. When she opened the door she said: "Hey. Sorry you had to wait, I'm ready." Viggo looked nice, in a pair of dark blue jeans and a blazer. Nothing too fancy but fancy enough. He smiled at het as he said: "You look beautiful. Love that dress." "Thank you." As she locked the door, Viggo admired her back. She was wearing an emerald green dress, which looked incredible combined with her strawberry blonde hair and pale skin. It showed off her perfectly fine legs. Yes, she was gorgeous. He walked her to his car as he said: "I hope you like Italian." "Of course I do."

When they entered the restaurant, Catherine was laughing. Not only seemed McQuaid a good agent, he was also quite funny. As the waiter walked them to their table she was still smiling, but as soon as she was seated and the waiter had left, the smile on her face faded. A few tables away from them, she saw Lou smiling to a tall, blonde woman. She knew she didn't have the right to be upset, but she was. And she could tell Lou wasn't too happy with her male presence either when their eyes locked. "Catherine? Catherine, are you okay?" Viggo's voice brought her back to reality again and she forced a smile as she said: "Yeah, I'm fine, sorry. Zoned out for a moment. You know.. I'm just going to go to the ladies room. You want to order some wine? I'll be back in a minute." He nodded. "Sure." He looked at her as she stood up, admiring the beautiful woman in front of him as she walked away before taking a look at the menu again.

Vartann could tell Catherine was walking into his direction and was surprised when she just brushed bye him, not acknowledging him in any way. He briefly closed his eyes when he smelled her perfume –the one he had given to her not too long ago,- before turning back to the woman in front of him. "Alice, I'm just going to the bathroom. I'll be right back." The blonde nodded and smiled in return as Lou got up to look after Catherine. He walked to the bathrooms where he spotted her in the ladies room, looking into the mirror. "You're alone?"

Catherine spun around when she heard those words and hissed: "Jesus, you scared me, Lou. Yeah… I'm alone."

He walked in and closed the door as he said: "So… You didn't even feel like saying hello?"

As Catherine tried to pay attention to the lipstick she was applying instead of the man behind her she said: "Didn't want you to have to explain to your blonde company who I was."

"Well, we work together don't we?" Catherine snored after hearing Lou's comment and said: "You made your point. Now leave, you're ruining my evening."

Lou kept standing where he stood and Catherine wanted to brush past him as he grabbed her arm. "Cath, what are you doing? Why are you upset about me being her with a woman when you're here with your date?"

Catherine knew she was being completely unfair but she really didn't care. She knew whatever thing was going on between her and McQuaid was far from serious and she would leave right now if Lou would tell her he'd take her back. She didn't dare saying that. Instead, she looked away as she quietly said: "I guess I'm just not as important to you as you are to me. Now let me go. Enjoy your dinner, evening, night… Whatever."

With a surprised look on his face, Lou looked after Catherine. He was completely confused by the woman's action. She was not important to him, yet she was the one who had a date? How exactly did that end up making sense?

The rest of the night, the two were trying not to have a staring contest with each other and focus on their company. McQuaid, however, noticed something was up with Catherine, but he didn't feel like it was his place to ask. "So, you guys are leaving tomorrow?" Viggo took a sip of his whine before saying: "Yeah, we'll head back to our offices tomorrow." Catherine nodded and, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lou leave. She saw him putting his hand on the small back of his company and a slight wave of jealousy washed over her. Catherine turned back to Viggo and said: "You'd like to go back to my place instead of staying here? I'm sure we'll find something good to do." The double meaning in her words didn't go unnoticed by Viggo and he immediately waved the waiter over. He was a good man, a respectful man. But he wasn't going to refuse a woman like Catherine if she was obviously asking him for something.

Catherine didn't waste any time throwing herself at him when they arrived to her place, kissing his lips fiercely as soon as she closed the door behind them. His hand immediately moved to her thigh, kneading it slightly as he huskily whispered in her ear: "God, you're so sexy, woman. I'll miss having a woman like you in our department." He bit her earlobe lightly before moving back to her lips again and pushing her into the wall, pressing himself against her. She moaned loudly when his hand captured her through her underwear, getting more aroused every second. He wasn't Lou Vartann. Far from. Viggo was a good-looking, handsome man for sure. But Catherine knew that whatever would be happening that night, Lou would be the man her mind anyway.

Twenty minutes later, Catherine and Viggo laid in her bed, him caressing her skin lightly as he said: "Are you upset if I'm getting up and go home in a bit?" Catherine chuckled. "No… Not at all. We both know what this is." "Yeah…." Silence washed over them for a bit before Viggo said: "You're a beautiful woman, Catherine. Inside and outside." She smiled, and as she thought to herself that she wished Lou would say that as well, she said: "Thanks… I really appreciate that." She was about to continue when the doorbell rang. It was almost midnight, and Catherine wasn't sure who would be there to visit her at that hour. As Viggo grabbed his clothes and quickly dressed himself, she grabbed her black silk robe and threw it on. She was about to rush downstairs when she heard Viggo say behind her: "Be careful when you open the door…" Catherine turned and chuckled. "So protective, mister. But thanks, it'll be fine."

Catherine looked through the glass window next to her door and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Lou standing in front of it. She was screwed. So, so screwed. He'd already seen her though, which meant she had to open the door. "Lou… Hey." "Hey." He took in her appearance and frowned. She looked hot. Gorgeous legs, showing 'til the silk black robe caught off his sight mid-thigh. "You were already asleep?" "Well… No."

Lou eyed the woman in front him suspiciously and wanted to ask something when she said: "Why are you here? The blonde wasn't that much fun after all?" Catherine saw he couldn't appreciate her comment and added: "Sorry. That was mean."

"I'll pass that message to my niece." "Your niece?" A shade of red appeared on her face and Lou couldn't help but laugh. "What? You thought I was dating a twenty-five year old? Catherine, please…" She didn't know how to respond, and Lou was kind of impressed with the fact that he had been able to make Catherine Willows speechless. "Cath, listen… I think we should talk. Like, normal talk… Like every couple should when they're having issues."

Catherine blinked. Wait… Did he just call them a couple? She was about to reply when she heard Viggo behind her. "Everything okay, Catherine?" Catherine knew Lou could hear both. His eyebrows raised as he said: "Cath… That guy's still with you?" She cursed under her breath, knowing this was bad. Lou opened the door further and Catherine stepped back, knowing the two men now were able to see each other. Viggo looked surprised as he said: "Detective Vartann, that's a surprise. What are you doing here at this hour?"

_Note: Dum dum dum... What's gonna happen next? Liked it, hated it? Let me know please, I love hearing from you guys! xx._


	4. I'd give anything again to be your baby

_Note: Thanks a lot for all sweet respones, I appreciate them so much. This chapter is rather confusing and I'm aware of that, but I guess that's the point haha! Let me know how you feel about it ;-) ! x  
><em>

_**I'd give anything again to be your baby doll.  
><strong>_  
>Lou ignored the man completely as he turned back to Catherine and said: "You're kidding me?" Catherine sighed and answered: "Lou… Just… Go sit down inside. Please?"<p>

Lou's face was filled with disbelief and rage, yet he answered positively to Catherine's question and walked into her living room, not giving McQuaid any more attention. Catherine turned back to Viggo, who was still quite stunned as to what had just happened. "I guess I should leave?"

Catherine smiled and ran a hand through her hair as she said: "Yeah…. You should. But… Just for the record. I'm not cheating on Lou with you. He and I… We're not dating. Well, not anymore at least. It's kind of complicated."

"Yeah, I kind of figured something like that." Viggo put on his jacket again before continuing. "It was lovely meeting you and spending time with you, Catherine. I hope to… Work with you again, in the future." He smiled, and both knew that work wasn't what he initially wanted to say. She nodded and replied: "Yes, me too."

After letting Viggo out without any other words, she quickly moved herself to the living room, where Lou was waiting for her on the couch, impatiently tapping his fingers on his leg.

"You want something to drink?" Catherine was doubting between sitting next to him or on the chair next to him. She settled for the last one as he said: "I'd rather have an explanation."

Catherine sighed and said: "Well… I told you I was going on a date."

"Oh, so first dates now mean having sex as well?"

"Lou, stop that! You're being so unfair now. What was I supposed to do then? You kept drifting further and further away from me, I honestly didn't even think you wanted to be with me anymore. And then I saw you with the blonde…. You could've told me it was your niece when we talked, you know."

Lou had to admit to himself that not telling her about his niece was kind of a nasty trick. Guess his jealousy had been taking over a bit as well… "That's not the point, Cath… I just don't get why you're telling me that, supposedly, you're not as important to me as I am to you, yet you're the one sleeping with another man!"

Catherine's head started throbbing and she massaged her temple for a bit as she said: "I'm not gonna yell about this, Lou. What do you want to hear from me? That I'm sorry for sleeping with McQuaid? 'Cause… Well, maybe I am, in some way, because apparently it's bothering you and that bothers me, but as far as I know, we're not dating. And may I add that it was you who made that decision, not me."

He had to admit that he had no right being upset with Catherine. She was right; they weren't dating. Lou couldn't help it though. The thought of Catherine with another man made him cringe.

"I just want you to be honest." "Well, that is completely out of context…" Now Catherine was getting angry. Him referring back to their fight that caused them falling apart in the first place bothered her a lot. "Why do you always feel like bringing that up when we're having an argument? I already told you that I am sorry about that and how I feel about it. What else do you want me to say? How have I not been honest with you lately?"

She got up, obviously pissed, and walked into the kitchen, away from Lou and away from the argument they were having. It wasn't making sense. How was he trying to pin the not-being-honest card on her again after she was actually trying to be honest?

It took a while for Lou to follow her, knowing he wasn't being fair with her. He placed his hand on her shoulder, happy she didn't flinch, as he said: "I'm sorry, Cath. I just don't get it… You're telling me I'm so important to you, next minute you're sleeping with someone else. Your words don't tell me the same thing your actions do."

"I think you should go."

The ice cold tone of Catherine's voice took Lou by surprise as she turned around and looked him into his eyes. "Wait… What? We're talking…"

"No, you're talking about everything I do wrong and I have to listen to it and defend myself over and over again. I'm done with that. If you're not even able to try and believe the things I'm telling you… What's the point? I'm sorry that I hurt you…. But you were not exactly giving me the idea you were interested in ever getting back together with me.. Sorry… Sorry for trying to move on. Not that I would even able to, but I tried. And… Just for the record… That guy, McQuaid… He would never ever be any competition for you. No one could." She walked away after those words, knowing she would start getting emotional if she would stay and talk any longer.

Lou let Catherine walk away, startled by her words. Catherine pouring her heart out was something Lou barely saw. It touched him, and he knew he hadn't been actually nice to her for weeks. Not until he found out she was going out on a date, knowing she was trying to move on. Knowing she was trying to forget about him even though she didn't want to. Lou was confusing himself and it bothered him. He'd come to Catherine's house that evening to tell her he loved her and wanted to try and make things work. How did they end up fighting again? He wanted to go upstairs and apologize, but he knew he would get fired up about something at some point. Stupid jealousy. Why was he so jealous? Instead of going upstairs to Catherine, Lou decided to leave, while wondering how he was able to control his jealousy instead of it causing trouble every single time when he talked to Catherine.

* * *

><p>The two did a pretty good job of avoiding each other the next few days. Catherine because she tried to block the man out of her head, Lou because he tried to find a solution to make things right with Catherine. When D.B Russell handed Catherine an assignment saying she would meet detective Vartann on the crime scene though, Catherine knew her job of avoiding Lou would be impossible. She grabbed her assignment with a sigh, knowing the next couple of hours would be hard.<p>

Lou spotted Catherine on the crime scene before she'd spotted him. She looked flawless. As usual. Tight jeans, a purple top and sunglasses on. Simple, yet so beautiful. The huge effort he'd put in avoiding Catherine vanished when she approached him. He wanted to be with her so bad. "Hey." She took off her sunglasses and gave him a small smile. Lou was glad she didn't ignore him. "Hey. The victim's a twenty-year old female, Ellen Birmain. She's from New York, according to her passport. Friends called the police yesterday after she didn't come back to their hotel after going to a party with a man she'd met in the hotel gym. A jogger found her here."

Catherine nodded and took a look around the place. The small river was almost dry since there barely had been rain these last few months, and it was a rare place for people to come. "How did the jogger find her?" She moved around the body and looked at the bruises on her face as Lou said: "He.. He needed to pee. He decided to get into the bushes, away from the path, when he saw her foot." Catherine again nodded, trying to ignore the man next to her as good as possible. But he looked good. So good. "Okay. So, you should go talk to her friends, see if they can give some information about that man Ellen was with." Catherine got up again to face him as she spoke and he nodded. "Yeah. Anything else?" She shook her head.

Their eyes locked for a moment, both enchanted with the other's eyes and the closeness. "Catherine…."

She could sense he was trying to talk to her about something other than work and she shook her head. Their bodies were almost touching as she whispered: "Don't. We'll… We'll talk later if you want to, okay?"

_Note: End of chapter. Liked it? Hope you did and you're curious to see what's up next, haha! xx._


	5. Oh, take me back to the start

_Note: Wow, I'm writing like crazy for this story... But I guess y'all won't complain about that. Well, I hope haha! Thanks so much for all sweet messages, I appreciate them so much and it's so nice to read them, they all make me smile. Not that much drama in this story... But I hope it will be nice anyway! Enjoy, xx._

_** Oh, take me back to the start.**_

"What happened to the talking later part?" Vartann stood in front of Catherine's office with a sly smile on his face, loving Catherine with her glasses on. Made her look so cute. Catherine blushed slightly when she saw him, not prepared for him visiting her as she said: "Sorry. Just… Busy, I guess."

"Yeah, I bet… Can I come in?" Catherine nodded and let him close the door. "So… How have you been?" Lou sat down in front of Catherine while he spoke.

A small smile appeared on her face as she took of her glasses and said: "Fine. Like I said, it's been busy. But I'm fine." She spoke fast and Lou almost chuckled; she seemed nervous.

"Cath…. Would you… I really want to take you out for dinner after shift. Would you please come with me?"

Lou took a mental picture of the surprised look on Catherine's face; she looked too cute. She opened her mouth and closed it again while she thought of what to say. The only thing that actually came out of her mouth was "Are you serious?" . Lou now chuckled before he said: "Well, yes."

"I'd love to. I just… Let's agree on one thing though."

"Which is…"

"Let's not have a fight again. Can we not bring up any of the bad things that happened these past few months? Can we try to be like we were… Like we were before things started going wrong?" Her pleading eyes made Lou feel slightly warm inside and he looked right into them as he answered: "I promise. Only nice things."

Catherine smiled at him; one of her genuine smiles, one he'd barely seen lately. Her cellphone rang and Lou knew he had to go. He stood up and said: "I'll meet you outside after shift, okay?"

* * *

><p>"Lou, where are you taking me?" "Just wait. We're almost there."<p>

Catherine felt like they had been driving around for hours now, when in fact, it had only been twenty minutes. She did however, wonder why it took them so long to reach their destination. When they drove into Mandalay Bay's parking lot though, Catherine had a feeling of what he was about to do. "You're taking me out to dinner in here?"

"Yeah. There's a restaurant here called Stripsteak. I've been there… Once. It's delicious. And.. Well, I figured you deserved something like that."

Catherine sat in shock next to him as he parked his car, and as they got out of the car she said: "Stripsteak? That's way too expensive Lou, you can't take me there…!"

Lou chuckled and grabbed Catherine's hand to draw her closer to him as he answered: "Relax, Cath. Let's… Lets just call this a little making up for all the dinners we missed lately." He squeezed her hand and she looked up to him and smiled. "Lou… I've been missing you."

"I've missed you too." Catherine leant up and kissed him on his lips, lightly at first. Both had missed each other though; the small kiss started a flow of emotions and feelings from both of them, and it took only seconds for their tongues to meet, dueling in a fierce kiss while their hands were all over each other's body. Catherine's hand tugging at Lou's shirt when he finally realized they were in a parking lot. He broke their kiss with disappointment as he said: "Cath, Cath, wait… We're in a parking lot. As much as I love doing…. This. We were supposed to go to dinner."

A chuckle escaped from Catherine's lips as she answered: "Yeah, right. We should do that. We've got something to look forward to now, don't we?" Lou smiled and they let go of each other, and, still holding hands, they walked into the direction of the restaurant.

Three and half hours later, Catherine's back was pressed hard against the wall. Her hands were tangled in Lou's hair as their tongues forcefully dueled again. After a while, Lou's hands cupped Catherine's butt cheeks, lifting her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. "Lou… Bedroom." Her words were barely whispers but Lou caught them and carried her up to her bedroom as fast as he could. He dropped her on her bed and in a couple of swift moves, undressed himself. Catherine did the same, but was unable to remove her panties en bra. Lou was already on top of her again, kissing her neck before moving down to her breasts as he unclasped her bra. He softly sucked on one of her nipples and Catherine let out a moan. "Cath… You're gorgeous."

A little while later, they were in bed together, tangled in the sheets as Catherine was resting her head on Lou's chest. He was playing with a strand of her strawberry blonde hair and both had been silent for a while, enjoying their closeness and each other's company. "Lou… Are we good?"

Her question surprised him. He slightly turned her so she faced him before he replied: "Hey, didn't we agree on not…"

Catherine didn't let him finish as she said: "Yeah yeah, I know what I said. I didn't say for how long though. Honestly, just tell me if we can try to start things over…. That you're done being upset with me and I'm done being upset with you."

Lou kissed her forehead before replying. Perhaps there were some unresolved issues between them. Perhaps there were some things Lou would like to talk about. But he knew they would be fine. He would make sure to do everything he could about that. "We're fine, Catherine. Maybe there are one or two things I'd like to ask you.. But I won't get jealous about that. Promise. And we're not going to talk about that now. We should sleep… Our alarm's going off in a few hours again."

A content sigh escaped from Catherine's mouth after his words and his last comment. "I know… You're staying tonight, right?"

"Not another place I'd rather be, honey."

* * *

><p>They went their separate ways that next day when shift started, both needing to do their jobs again. When Lou however heard Nick talking about Lindsey, his curiosity took over. He paged Catherine, multiple times, but she didn't answer. He had asked Nick about Catherine's daughter, but Nick's face turned into a light shade of red before he'd told Vartann he should talk to Catherine. After thirty minutes of searching, he found Catherine in the locker room, staring at the ceiling. "Cath?"<p>

A small smile crept across her face when she saw Lou. "Hi. Sorry for not answering your page… I wanted to come see you but I… I just needed to think for a bit."

He sat down next to her, shoulders touching, as he said: "I heard Nick and Greg talk about Lindsey… What's going on?"

A sigh escaped out of Catherine's mouth as she said: "She just called me… Apparently, she's been dating this guy for a few months now, Matthew. She never told me about him. But, what's worse… She was crying. She said that he'd hit her, more than once when she came home tonight. She's fine, well, at least she says she is, and that she left his place immediately. I just… God, I'm just so afraid I've been doing her wrong when she was younger."

Lou knew she was pointing out to her relationship with Eddie. He didn't knew all details about their marriage but he was aware of the fact that it had been far from ideal. He grabbed her hand and caressed it lightly with his thumb as he said: "I know I don't know Lindsey… Yet. But if she's anything like her mom I'm very sure she'll be fine."

"Yeah, 'cause this mess over here is fine." She pointed to herself while uttering those words and Lou could tell she was on the edge of crying. While Lou held her hand and let her head rest in his shoulder she whispered: "There are so many aspects of my marriage with Eddie that she saw and that she shouldn't have seen. I'm not embarrassed about anything I did in the past… I just wish Lindsey wouldn't have seen so many black eyes and split lips on me. I'm … I guess I'm just afraid she's going back to that guy over and over again… Like I did."

Lou tried to hold back all the questions that washed over him after her last words, and instead just listen. He hated to see her so upset, but he was happy she'd decided to share this with him. "Cath… Come on, I'll take you home."

_Note: Annddd... Here's the end of the chapter, haha! Did you guys like it? Please let me know! Things seem to head smoothly for Cath and Lou from here on, don't they? You just have to wait and see I guess... ;-) xx._


	6. Everything he does, better than ordinary

_Note: Next chapter! Thanks so much for the reviews, I appreciate them so much. Hope you enjoy this too, it may seem slightly weird for now, but, don't worry... It will all make more sense... Eventually, haha ;-) ! Please enjoy and let me know what you think of it! x._

_** Everything he does, better than ordinary. **_

"So, what did you do then? You didn't stay here with him after… Well, after those things happened, did you?"

"I'd… Well, I'd usually go to Gil."

Catherine and Lou were tangled together in Catherine's bed sheets, curled up together, talking about Catherine's marriage with Eddie. And everything that happened before and after. When they got home that night, Lou didn't ask her a thing about Eddie, regardless of the amount of questions he had. But Catherine had wanted to talk about it, let him ask questions and tell him everything she felt like telling. He tried to hide the anger, the pain, he felt as Catherine spoke about the first time Eddie had let her use cocaïne, and the first time he'd hit her. He was there to support Catherine and listen to her.

"Gil Grissom?"

Catherine chuckled. "Yeah…. Grissom and I are…Well, I'm not so sure about what we are at the moment, but we were great friends back in the day. Not only when we worked together, but long before that. Circumstance got us to meet and, well, I don't know, there was this click. As… Unsocial, as he could be with some people, he and I understood each other right of the bat. Most times, that was. And when Lindsey was born… God, he loved her. It was amazing to see how he could do things with her, and then see the change in personality when he was around… Like… Other people, you know, at work or something. Gil has a manual you need to learn. But I knew it, completely. When… When Eddie would hit me, yell at me or whatever… I could always go to him. I was always able to, before Lindsey was born and after. He would make sure I put eyes on the bruises, feed me and Linds… Do something fun with us. He… He would beg me to leave Eddie. I always insisted I couldn't. I'd leave his place after a day or two… And usual returned again the next week with a new bruise."

"Wow…" He kissed her forehead as he thought about everything she said. She was a lot more calm then she was earlier, and told him the story as if it was about a movie character, not herself. "I'm.. I'm happy that you had someone to go to."

She nodded. "I was… Gil was the one who got me a job eventually at the lab. I left Eddie a few years after, when Linds was five. Still can't believe how long I stayed with Eddie. Strange things you do when you're in love… And when that love was gone, I just wanted to make it work. For Lindsey. Guess that's the most stupid thing to do… Going back again to someone over and over again, knowing it's not good for you."

"I… I really appreciate you telling me all this, Cath. I just wish you wouldn't have gone through all of that."

Catherine shrugged. "Yeah… Can't change the past. And at least it gave me Lindsey… And I wouldn't wanna trade her for anything in this world."

There was a silence for a while after those words. Both of them were thinking. Catherine about how she was glad she'd finally told Lou more details about her past. Now, he did know about most of them in general but still; the details were much more horrifying then he'd probably thought. Lou, on the other hand, was glad she'd decided to share these things with her. There was one question though that was spinning around in his head, and he hated himself for that. Catherine mentioning her old supervisor and, apparently close friend, Gil Grissom, gave him something else to think about. He knew it didn't even matter at this point, yet he wondered if Gil and Catherine had ever been more than just friends. He knew he shouldn't ask about that, but he couldn't get it off of his mind.

"I think we should get some sleep, honey. You need to work again in a few hours."

"So do you…" Both chuckled and Lou kissed her forehead as he said: "Well, yeah, but I just want you to feel better again."

Catherine rested her head against Lou's as she said: "Yeah, I should get some sleep. Linds promised to call again tomorrow, I hope she'll come back to visit sometime soon."

"I'm sure she will, sweetheart."

When Lou woke up a few hours later, he found the woman that was supposed to lie next to him was gone. He threw the sheets off of him and yawned as he walked downstairs, where he found Catherine behind her laptop and smelled fresh coffee. "Good morning, honey." She turned around and smiled. "Hey, good morning. There's coffee on the counter, and I made pancakes."

Lou kissed her and she happily kissed him back. "So, what did I deserve that for?" "Do I need a reason to be nice to you?" Lou chuckled as he walked over to the counter and grabbed some coffee and food before moving back to the couch were Catherine was indulged in her laptop. "So, what's so interesting about that screen you're looking at?"

A smile appeared on Catherine's face as she said: "It's weird… Grissom emailed… For the first time in months. I'm just surprised, but it's so nice to hear from him."

"Ah, I see."

He tried to shake his feelings of jealousy off of him and took a bit of the pancakes before saying: "So, what did he write?"

Catherine shrugged. "Not that much. He apologized for not writing, asked some things about me and Lindsey… And he said he's planning to come back for a while. He says he and Sara are having some problems, and he wants to come back to see if things can be fixed."

Lou's feelings of jealousy slowly ebbed away as he heard Sara's name, knowing he was being stupid again. "Oh, well… I just hope they're able to then. Never thought they would ever be separated, they seem quite…. Perfect."

He looked at Catherine and he saw something in her eyes, not sure what exactly she was thinking, as he heard her say: "Yeah, well…. Let's just hope they'll make things right."

She closed her laptop and said: "So… You wanna take a shower?"

Lou looked up again and saw her wink at him with a huge smile plastered on her face. He smiled and got up as well, following her upstairs to the bathroom. He wondered why he was always searching for something he could be jealous of regarding Catherine.

* * *

><p>Catherine and Lou arrived at work later that evening, where both went their separate ways. After a few hours, Lou decided to take a look in Catherine's office to see if she was there, hoping to just talk a bit and have fun. When he arrived, the door was wide open and he saw Catherine's back, as she was talking on the phone. Instead of letting her know he was there, he listened for a bit.<p>

"Yeah, I was surprised when you emailed me… Been so long. I know, there's been so much going on since you've left. When is your plane arriving? Okay, is Sara picking you up? Oh… Well, I can come if you want me to. Okay, just let me know what time… That's fine, I'll just keep this morning free. No, it's not a problem, I'm happy to see you. Bye."

As soon as Catherine ended her conversation, Lou knocked on her door; he knew he'd been listening while he shouldn't and immediately felt guilty. Catherine almost jumped when she heard the knock, and when she quickly spun around she said: "Gee, Lou, don't do that! You scared me!"

He chuckled. "Sorry, honey. Bad conscious?" "No… Just not used to people sneaking up on me like that." His arms moved around her shoulders so he could hold her and kissed her lightly. "I just wanted to say hi. Know you're busy with your case tonight so I figured I wouldn't see you that much tonight." Catherine smiled and kissed him. "That's sweet. Yeah, we're busy.. Gotta head out in a few minutes, Nick's trying to locate a suspect."

Lou was about to tell her he had to go too, but there was something nagging in the back of his head. He was quite positive it had been Gil Grissom she'd been talking to on the phone. He didn't know why he was as jealous as he was; he had no reason for it at all. "I've got to go too. Hey, you want to grab some breakfast in the morning?"

"No, I can't… I.. I promised Lindsey I would skype with her, and I guess it's important we can do that together."

"Of course, honey. I'll call you later then." He kissed her again before walking away. He was slightly getting angry. Why was she lying about picking Grissom up from the airport? He started grinding his teeth, wondering what was going on.


	7. Pushing my buttons

_Notes: Thanks again for the reviews guys! Sinc88 told me something new when I read that it was William Petersons idea for Catherine to leave the show the way she did, I honestly didn't know about that. Bet he wished it was Catherine Grissom had ended up with, haha ;). No, just kidding. Please enjoy guys! Lots of dialogue, lots of talking... Xxx._

_** Pushing my buttons. **_

"God, you look good!" Catherine excitingly hugged her friend as he gave her a slightly awkward hug back. "Yet still not that great with the hugging thing, I see."

Gil chuckled at the words of his former colleague and old friend. "Sorry. Just be glad you have the privilege of even being allowed to hug me."

She stuck out her tongue and said: "Yeah yeah, whatever. You want me to help with your bags?"

"No, don't be silly. It's fine."

They walked into the direction of the exit as Catherine said: "So, mister, this is quite something, huh… I haven't been hearing from you in ages, and suddenly I get an email and a phone call and then you're here. I get a feeling you're using me."

Gil could tell Catherine was joking but he still felt guilty; he hadn't been writing to Catherine for a long time and he knew she'd been missing him. "Sorry… I've been busy."

"I know, I know. When you go back again though I want you to write. If you don't, I'm never going to help you out again."

"I promise, Cath."

"Thanks, it's very much appreciated. So… Why didn't you want Sara to pick you up?" Her cellphone started ringing in the middle of the sentence, and when she saw it was Vartann, she decided to call him back a little later.

"Not interesting enough?" Gil raised his eyebrow when Catherine put her cell away and she chuckled. "Very interesting. Just want you to answer my question first."

"What question?"

"Gil!" Catherine rolled her eyes and unlocked her SUV, which was now in sight. He could be so dense sometimes, something she'd always been annoyed with, from the moment she met him. Now, it made her smile a bit as well. He hadn't changed a thing.

"Oh that. We're not doing so great lately. She wants me to move here, to be back with her again. And I have been thinking about moving back actually, but not necessarily for her. I just miss Vegas… The rollercoasters, the lab…. You and the guys, most of all. I realized Sara wasn't number one and I kind of figured that was wrong considering she's my wife… So, well… I wanted to talk to her. Not be all happy and excited about meeting her and then tell her I'm having doubts. Besides, it's always nice to see you."

They were now both in the car and Catherine started driving as she realized Gil had changed in some way. The way those words had been fluttering out of his mouth was insane. "Geez, Gil… You're being good with words, that's a little bit.. Scary."

"Yeah… Well.. I figured you would ask me that. Have been thinking about how to answer it since I boarded that plane."

When they almost reached Gil's home, she suddenly remembered Lou's phone call from half an hour earlier. "Hey, Gil… Can you grab my phone out of my purse?"

"You can't call while you're driving…"

"I know, we're almost there. Just do it, please."

Gil noticed the slightly irritated sound of Catherine's voice, that came out of nowhere, and decided to ignore it and just look for the phone. He found it almost immediately. "What do you want me to do with it?"

Catherine doubted for a second; she hadn't told Gil about her and Vartann yet, something he would find out when he'd see her phone. "Just.. Can you see if I've had any other calls or messages? I'll explain why later."

"Two missed calls, one message."

Catherine chuckled. "I was a little more interested in who they were from, Gil."

"Oh. Right. The calls are both from Lou Vartann and the message is from Lindsey. Lou Vartann? Detective Vartann? What is he calling you for?"

"That would be the explaining part I'd have to do."

At that moment, they were in front of Gil's townhouse. "Okay, Gil, you get your stuff. I'll open the door. I'll call first, explain after. Promise."

She ran into the house, leaving the door open so Gil could get in. It made Gil smile; he was happy to see she still had his key.

As soon as Catherine was inside, she dialed the "call" button. She was happy Vartann picked up immediately. "Lou! Hey, it's me… I'm so sorry for not calling you back!"

She fell down on Gil's couch, taking in the place that was still the same as she remembered as she heard him speak. "I was wondering where you were. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've missed you."

"I miss you too… I can come over, if you like…"

"Well, I'd love to. But I'm a little busy right now."

"With what?"

"Now you sound as if I never have anything to do besides spending time with you or working." Catherine could tell he was getting slightly annoyed, and she wondered why. "I'll tell you later. You know… I can come over in an hour? Is that okay? I really want to see you.."

"Me too. That's fine, I'll see you then. I love you." "I love you too, honey."

As Catherine put her phone away she found Gil in his doorway, watching her with an raised eyebrow and a look of amusement on his face. At that same time though, Lou sat down near his kitchen table and started to doubt. Why wouldn't she just tell him she went to pick up Grissom? It bothered him and even more so, annoyed him. On top of that, he'd started to doubt himself; maybe he hadn't head the conversation right at all.

In Gil's house, Gil walked over to Catherine and sat down. "So… You and the detective?"

"I'm surprised Sara never told you."

"We… Well, she… No offence, 'cause she likes you, but she doesn't necessarily like to talk about you, and any of the others as a matter of fact when we talk to each other. Always has a lot of other things she feels are more important… But, well, that's a whole other story. Tell me."

"Not much to tell, Gil. We just ran into each other outside of work once. I realized he was super handsome, but figured he was married. He called me a while later though, asked me to go out for coffee. It was all quite… Innocent, I guess. We spent a lot of time together but we never really thought of ourselves as a couple. Well, I didn't. I… I guess I was being a coward and was scared. Then he asked me to move in with him and I just completely freaked… That kind of blew up our relationship. But… Well, we've been doing good again. It's been quite a rocky relationship. But not in a bad way. Thought me more about myself and about him… And we're a lot more clear on what we are now, I think. I consider him my boyfriend, and I hope he considers me his girlfriend." Both chuckled. The two were more than happy to finally spend time together again like they did back in the day. Of course things had changed… But it all felt so familiar and it made both feel very happy.

About an hour later, Catherine knocked on Lou's door. It took him a while to open and Catherine happily flung into his arms and kissed him lightly. "Hey! Missed me?"

"Already told you I did, honey." He closed the door behind him and watched the redhead walk into his living room, her hips swaying. She looked good. He followed her and sat down next to her on the couch, where she immediately let her head rest on his shoulder. "God, I'm so tired."

"Yeah… So, what have you been doing?" He cut to the chase immediately, knowing he would get upset if he wouldn't. Catherine straightened herself and said: "Oh yeah, that. Well, it's a long story… And I probably should've told you earlier but I wasn't sure what Gil was planning on so I decided not to… After that email he wrote me he called, saying he was coming back to Vegas. Apparently, he and Sara are having some issues, and he figured he needed to come here to figure some stuff out. He asked me to pick him up from the airport, so I did. So that's where I've been for the last, like, three hours."

Catherine smiled and Lou wanted to do two things. He wanted to forget his jealousy and kiss her and take her to bed with him. On the other hand, he wanted to know more about Gil. He sensed there was a relationship between the two of them that he wasn't aware of and it bothered him more than he wanted him to.

"Okay. So… I don't mean to be mean, but why did you need to pick him up? He could've called a cab right?"

Catherine's eyes narrowed as she looked at Lou, who tried to look casual but who obviously wasn't that relaxed at all. "Why wouldn't I want to pick up my best friend from the airport?"

"Great friend who hasn't been in touch for years…"

His sarcastic comment made Catherine sit up straight again, breaking their touching bodies apart. "Lou, what's going on with you?"

"I don't get it, Catherine. Why is he so important to you? Your great friend, who you haven't been talking to for years."

"Don't diminish my relationship with Gil, Lou, you don't even know what you're talking about!" She got up and walked away from him.

Her harsh and fierce response had surprised him, yet he'd been so aware of pushing her buttons. He wasn't going to let her walk away though. He quickly followed her and grabbed her arm. "Then explain."

She shook his hand off of her and said: "Why do you act so jealous? He's not the man I'm dating, remember?"

"Not now." His response made Catherine raise her eyebrow. So that was his problem. Again. He was jealous. That jealousy would make their relationship difficult at times, Catherine had been aware of that. But this was even beyond jealousy. He didn't know anything about Gil and Catherine, yet the little thing she had told him not too long ago about his help apparently had been enough to stir up an entire mass of feelings that were completely unnecessary. "I think it's time you start thinking about why you're always being a jealous prick whenever I'm even talking to someone or about someone. You could've just asked me if Gil and I ever had sex 'cause it's obvious that that is what's bothering you."

_Note: And trouble in paradise again... How do you feel about it? xx._


	8. I'm just about to set fire to everything

_Note: Hi guys, sorry for taking so long on updating. Have a big test coming up so I'm pretty busy, but, well, I just wanted to give you guys another chapter, so sorry for it not being that long. Hope you like it, please let me know! xx_

_**I'm just about to set fire to everything I see.**_

Lou hadn't called her anymore. That was the reason Catherine was extremely pissed when she went to work again that night. She was frustrated with his behavior and, even more, frustrated that he apparently didn't realize how stupid it had been. Catherine wondered why Lou had such jealousy issues; was she honestly giving him reasons to be jealous?

She stormed into the break room, not at all caring about the surprised looks Nick and Greg were giving her. "Sleepless night, boss lady?" Greg's comment made her want to do two things; first instinct was to make a snappy comment, but second was just to smile. She knew Greg was only trying to make the best out of things.

"Yeah, something like that, Greggo. D.B's getting us cases or what?"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you Cath, but I think he had other plans for you and him." The smug smile on Nick's face made her raise an eyebrow. "What other plans?"

"Your favorite!" Greg wiggled his eyebrows and Catherine figured there would be a little something called paperwork waiting for her. She smiled at the two men and said: "Ah, I see. Well I guess I'll go find Russell then, thanks for the information. You guys heading out soon?"

"Just waiting for Sair and Morgan, double homicide."

"Great guys, just great." She left the room with a smile as she heard the two men chuckle behind her. In less than a minute, she found Russell in his office, covered in paperwork. She knocked in his open door before she said: "Hey. Nick and Greg told me to come and see you. Need help with that paperwork?"

Russell looked at her. "Well, yes I wanted you to see me, but no, you don't need to help me with this. I told them to tell you I had another case for you, didn't they?"

Ah. So that was what the wiggling the eyebrows and chuckling about. Those plans were another case. "Ah, well, they told me you had other plans for me. I just figured it was paperwork."

"No, not at all. I asked Nick for this at first since he was the first one in tonight, but he insisted I passed this case on to you, he said you would enjoy it." Russell handed her a dossier with information as he said: "Call Vartann, you guys can go together. Murder at the Bellagio."

Catherine's eyes almost popped out of her head as she heard Russell say Vartann, but he was already indulged in his paperwork again. It was obvious why Nick had wanted to pass that case on to her; he figured he'd do her a favor by letting her work with her boyfriend. Which it usually was. When they wouldn't be fighting.

"Uhm, you really don't want to do this yourself? I mean, I can do the paperwork if you'd like."

Russell took off his glasses and looked at her. "Why wouldn't you want to go solo? You're not feeling well?"

Catherine could tell D.B. wasn't going to let her pass the case off and she sighed. "No, no, I'm doing fine. I'll go, where's Vartann?"

"He went over to Ecklie for some stuff, he said he would be waiting outside for any of you. Good luck."

"Thanks." Yeah, good luck was something she definitely needed. Why was it that when she wanted to work with him, she never got the opportunity, and now that she definitely didn't want to work with him, they would be working together?

She spotted Vartann as soon as she got outside, waiting next to his SUV with his sunglasses on. She took a deep breath and walked over to him, as he was still oblivious to her presence. She was almost next to him as she said: "Hey. Russell sent me to do the case, let's go."

Lou was surprised when he heard Catherine's voice and then heard her words. A case with Catherine. That wasn't exactly what he was prepared for. He hadn't called her back after she'd stormed out on him, knowing he needed to think of something good to make things right with her again. He figured that now however that hadn't been his best move as he could tell Catherine wasn't at all happy to be working with him.

"Oh. Okay. Well, we should get going then. You want to drive?" He offered her his case, trying to think of some silly peace offering but she refused it. "No. It's your car."

Lou turned on the radio as soon as they seated themselves, knowing an awkward silence would be there surrounded with an awful tension. After only a few minutes, he sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep up with it any longer. He turned the volume down and said: "Cath, listen…. I think we should talk…"

Catherine didn't even let him finish. "I don't think we should right now. We can just do our job and not talk, right?"

It wasn't even a question and Lou knew that. "But I think we should. Every single person can tell there's something wrong."

"Well, we'll just have to try our best then to pretend we're being awesome. You should've called me a few hours ago to do that talking."

Lou knew he shouldn't even bother asking her anything else. She wasn't going to give in anyway. He turned up the volume of the radio again and focused on the road, as he saw Catherine staring out of the window from the corner of his eye.

Pretending their best was tougher than Catherine had hoped. She figured the pressing tension would disappear as soon as they'd step out of the car, but unfortunately, it was still present. Catherine walked in front of Vartann, trying her best to pretend he was not there when she flashed her badge at the reception of the Bellagio, so the receptionist was able to send her to the room where the murder took place. Catherine walked up to the elevator, knowing she wished Lou would just take another elevator, but she also knew that would interfere with their job. She waited until Lou was in the elevator with her, and sighed when she realized they would be the only two in it as she pressed the button of the 22nd floor.

They both patiently waited for the elevator to work its way up to the twenty second floor as they tried to avoid each other's eyes. When the elevator started making a squeaking noise though, Catherine's eyes shot up and searched for Lou's; she hated elevators. "What was that?"

Lou couldn't help but chuckle. "Relax, Cath, it's nothing."

When the squeaking became louder however, Catherine started to panic lightly. "Lou… This is not normal. What's happening?"

When Lou was about to answer that it would probably all be fine and that she just needed to relax, the lights turned off and the elevator came to an abrupt stop. A short, high scream came out of Catherine's mouth and, her instincts playing up, she hurried over to Lou. "Shit." Lou's comment made Catherine smile a little but being scared took over most of her emotions as she said: "I told you this wasn't normal."

She started searching for her black light to give them some light as Lou tried to find the emergency button in the elevator. He pushed it but no response came. Catherine shone the light on his hands as she saw what he was doing, realizing there was something wrong with the electricity as the button didn't give any response. She sighed. "Great. Just great. Stuck, in an elevator, with a dead body upstairs…."

"And me." Lou added.


	9. He grabs me, he has me by my heart

_Notes: Hi guys, thanks a lot for all the sweet reviews and message. Hope you'll enjoy this as well. x. _

_**He grabs me, he has me by my heart.**_

"Captain obvious."

Her comment made Lou chuckle, but Catherine couldn't really appreciate that. "You know, I'm so happy that you find this situation amusing 'cause it's obviously not. We're stuck in a stupid elevator and I'm not even going to have a normal conversation with you because I'm upset with you."

Lou knew her being upset with him was the main reason for her behavior towards him; it had been quite obvious. He wasn't however looking forward to being stuck in an elevator with an angry Catherine. Besides, now that she was forced to be in there with him, she was going to have to listen anyway.

"I'm sorry I didn't call you. I just wanted to talk to you in person."

Lou was relieved he couldn't see her face 'cause he could already tell by the sound of her voice that she probably didn't look too happy as she said: "Bet you did. You don't have to come up with excuses to try and make things up. Being honest is a better start, you know that. You've criticized me enough for not doing that in your opinion."

"We're not going over that again, Catherine, just listen to me. I know I was being jealous but… Yeah, I am. I don't know a lot about you and Gil and I know I shouldn't at all be interested in rumors but there have been people telling me in the past that they thought it was so interesting how someone as.. As beautiful as you was able to date someone like Grissom. I never responded to those things, never really cared, it was none of my business. But now he's back, and you didn't tell me you went to pick him up.. I just thought you were hiding something from me. I'm sorry, I should've trusted you."

There was a silence for a while and Lou could hear Catherine sliding down the sides of the elevator to sit down before she said: "You should've… I love you. If you'd wanted to know something you should've asked."

"I know that… I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I know… I don't want this to happen more often, Lou. I'm done with you being angry and just plain stupid because you're assuming things. Stop doing that, just ask."

"Yeah, 'cause you would've been totally fine with answering me if I asked you if you've ever had sex with Gil Grissom."

Catherine almost had to chuckle; he knew her too well. She would've been upset about that. When she didn't respond immediately, Lou decided to take a gamble and slid down to sit down next to her. He couldn't see her face but he could tell she was looking at him as she said: "Maybe. Probably. But then I would've been angry for, like, five minutes, until you made a cute face again and then it would all be fine. If you assume I'm being dishonest or if you just think you know things you don't , I get pissed. Like, really pissed."

"I know… I'm sorry, Catherine, I said that. But…"

"But you still want to know whether he and I actually have had sex?"

"Well maybe, but that wasn't even what I was going to say."

Now Catherine did chuckle. "I knew you would want the answer anyway."

Lou scooted over closer and searched for her hand, which she let him grab without any hesitation. "I maybe still want to know the answer but…. What I wanted to say is that I don't care if you've had sex with Grissom. I don't care about any men you've ever been sleeping with. I care about you and I know you know that but… I just wanted to say that. Again. Please don't be angry anymore.. I don't want to fight with you. I want to sit down on a couch next to you drinking coffee, kiss you… Make love to you."

Catherine knew she was going to give in in a second. She leant against him as she whispered: "I want that too." Their lips were searching each other and they were almost touching when suddenly the squeaking started again and the lights turned on again. Catherine, again scared of the squeaking jumped up, and then said: "Thank God… Power's on again."

Lou got up as well as he replied: "Well… I could've thought of some fun things to do while in that elevator."

She lightly slapped him and laughed, making Lou more than just happy. Seeing an honest, beautiful smile of her again lightened up his day. Within seconds they reached the 22nd floor and, as they walked to the room they needed to be in, they could already see an officer waiting impatiently for them. When they almost reached him, Catherine moved a little closer to Lou and quietly said: "Just for the record… I never slept with Gil."

* * *

><p>Lou was excited when he heard the vague sound of a key in his front door. He'd been on the couch, waiting for Catherine to finally return from her job. Why was it that those in the crime lab would never be finished at the time they should? He was trying to wake up when Catherine quietly entered the house.<p>

She took off her heels and hung up her leather jacket before walking into the living room where she'd noticed a small light that was still burning. She noticed the form of Lou Vartann on the couch, rubbing his eyes with one hand and his belly with his other, uncovering his nice abdomen in the process. She smiled and walked over to him, pressing a hard kiss on his lips before he even opened his eyes as she settled herself close to him on the couch. "Hey handsome."

"Hey…" Lou was still sleepy and his cuteness made Catherine melt. He was being too cute. Something so different from the tough man she usually saw at work. She was happy to have the privilege of seeing him like that. "You're late."

"I know. Ecklie was being a bitch again. Sorry… You wanna go upstairs? I'm exhausted."

"Yeah." He kept holding her hand though, earning him a puzzled look from Catherine. "We can't go up if you keep holding me, you know."

"I'm aware of that."

He pulled her closer to him again so he could kiss her lips again as he moved his hands to her butt so he could push her on top of him. Lou moved his lips to her neck and sucked lightly before letting go of her skin and whispered: "Just wanted to feel you close for a moment."

Catherine chuckled. "Come on, we'll go to bed. I'll be close to you for the rest of the night."

_**Note: Not that long this time, sorry! I've said when updating some other stories that I've been super busy with school, I still am, but I wanted to give you all something to read anyway. I'm not sure if I want to end the story any time soon or if I should put another twist in the plotline.. How do you guys feel about it? xx.**_


	10. I got lost in your brown eyes

_Note: Hi guys! I got so embarassed when I realized I hadn't posted the final chapter of this story yet. Stupid, stupid me. Here it is. I hope you like it! X. _

_**I got lost in your brown eyes.**_

All of her co-workers noticed the sparkle in Catherine's eyes the next morning. Nick wasn't sure why. The first thing that was on his mind was that Lou asked Catherine to marry him. Then again, there was no ring, and Nick thought Catherine and Lou had been having some sort of fight. After all, when she'd been put on a case with him the night before, she hadn't been happy at all. After their cases for the night had been given he followed Catherine to the sink where she put her coffee cup and said: "So, what are you all happy and sparkling about?"

"Huh?" Catherine tried to put up an innocent act, but she knew Nick would be able to see right through her. He chuckled and replied: "I was almost thinking you and Vartann were getting married or something."

The look of total shock on Catherine's face was a sign for Nick that he was quite wrong. She slapped him lightly on his arm and said: "No, no, no, not at all. Please Nicky, I'm really too old for that. But we're doing good, very good."

"I'm glad. You deserve to be happy, Cath. And, just for the record. You're not old."

* * *

><p>When Catherine arrived home that night, she was surprised to find a vase filled with pink roses in her living room. She knew they were from Lou; he was the only one who knew she liked the pink ones much more than the reds.<p>

"Lou?"

She heard a voice coming from upstairs yelling: "I'm in the bathroom!"

She raised her eyebrows in curiosity as she took off the heels she'd been wearing and locked the front door. She then made her way upstairs, wondering why the lights were all off. "Lou, why is it so dark in here?"

"Come here!"

Catherine made her way to the only room that seemed to have light, as rays were coming out of under the door. She got slightly blinded as she opened the door. She chuckled as she found Lou's hands covering his eyes as he said: "I've got a surprise."

"Aha. Well I'd love to see it… But something's kind of blocking my view."

"I know. You're ready?"

"Yeah."

Lou got rid of his hands in front of her eyes and moved his hands so they were encircling her waist as Catherine looked at the bathroom. Lou'd been placing candles around her bathtub, which was filled with steaming water and bubbles that smelled like vanilla and strawberries. "Lou… This is so sweet! How did you manage to do this so quick?"

He shrugged and smiled. "I'm trained to do things fast."

"Lou…" She turned around to face him and threw her hands around his neck. "This is the sweetest thing someone has ever done for me… Thank you so much."

Their lips collided in a sweet and soft kiss. Lou definitely did want to continue it, but he had prepared a bath for the woman that was currently kissing his lips. He didn't want her to bathe in cold water. He broke their kiss and said: "Honey, I'd love to keep on kissing you. But… The water's getting cold. You should get in there."

He let go of her and was about to walk away when he heard Catherine say: "Leaving so soon?"

Lou turned around and wanted to tell her she was supposed to take a bath and relax as he saw her removing her jeans. He cleared his throat before saying: "Well, ehm… You should relax."

"I'm perfectly capable of relaxing when you're around." She unbuttoned the first couple of buttons of her blouse before removing it, standing in front of Lou in a light blue, lace bra with matching panties.

"Jesus, Cath…"

"Come. Join me." She unclasped her bra before turning her back towards Lou. She knew she was driving him insane and she loved it. She tipped her feet into the tub, feeling it tingle as it came in contact with the hot water. She turned her body halfway to face Lou and said: "You're coming?"

When she pushed her panties down and stepped out of them, Lou had had enough. He untied his tie as quick as he could, while kicking off his shoes. He undid his belt, got out of his pants and jacket while never taking his eyes of Catherine, who was letting out a slight moan as she let her body fell down in the hot water. She was covered in bubbles as she closed her eyes. "Damn woman…" Lou muttered as he was finally able to get out of his boxers and made his way over the tub.

Catherine's eyes were still closed as she said: "Knew you'd come eventually."

"You're driving me nuts, woman." He stepped into the tub behind Catherine, who allowed him to sit behind her so she could rest her body against his.

"This is perfect, Lou."

"So are you."

His hands rested around her waist, fighting the urge to move his fingers further down her body. They sat for a bit, and Catherine was definitely relaxed, her eyes closed and a content sigh escaping her mouth every once in a while.

The relaxation soon turned into excitement when she felt Lou's finger brush against her clit. She thought it was an innocent move at first. That was until she felt them again. Lou stroke her opening lightly as she opened her eyes, trying to turn around with losing contact. She sat on the opposite of him as she looked at him, his thumb still touching her folds. A look of pure innocence was on Lou's face, but Catherine didn't buy it.

She bit her lip and smiled as she said: "You're such a tease."

"Oh, am I?"

He trusted his fingers inside here, pulling her closer as he did so while Catherine let out a load moan. Lou's fingers moved up and down as Catherine fought the urge to cum right there. "God, Lou, that feels so good…"

Catherine knew she was reaching her climax as she said: "Lou, honey… Let's move to bed. Please? I want to do this together."

* * *

><p>Lou blew out the candles before following Catherine to her bedroom.<p>

He found her on her bed, naked, eying him as he entered the room. "You took long enough. C'm here."

He didn't let her say that again as he crawled onto the bed, immediately covering her body with his. "You're so beautiful, Catherine."

Lou didn't let her reply as he roughly kissed her lips, enjoying the taste of her tongue as their bodies were warming up towards each other. He broke their kiss for a moment, panting heavily as he looked at the woman beneath him. Her angelic strawberry blonde hair that fell under her shoulders in loose curls on to her pale, freckled, smooth skin.

Catherine took advantage of the moment as she managed to tumble Lou around, sitting on top of him. He looked so handsome and so beautiful. She moved her head to his neck and kissed him before she bit him lightly. "I really, really want you inside of me now."

She looked into his eyes, finding all the permission she needed in there. Lou cupped her ass as she sat up before she let him fill her, immediately letting out a moan of satisfaction.

Lou's hands moved to her waist as she moved on top of him and he went along with her movements. She pressed harder, wanting him deeper as she moaned his name.

Before she knew what was happening, his body moved her around again so he was on top of her, making sure their bodies never let go of each other. He trusted inside her, slowly at first, before roughly pushing himself deeper. "Jesus, Lou…"

They didn't take too long before reaching their climax, both panting heavily afterwards, trying to catch their breaths.

"I love you, Lou."

"I love you too, Catherine."

He pulled himself out of her and rolled around to lie next to her, her body immediately searching for his warmth again. Lou's arm rested around Catherine's waist as her head rested on his chest. "Things will only get better from now on, won't they?"

Lou knew it was more of a statement instead of a question, but he did answer her. "I'm very sure they will. I've got Las Vegas' finest in my bed. That's all I need. You're all I need."

**_The end._**

**__**_Note: Thanks for reading. I appreciate every single reader and every single review a lot. Hope you enjoyed the story, I definitely loved writing it! X_


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